Device for dispensing pastes or creams in collapsible tubular containers



0d 24, 1950 c E DE vlNcENzl ETAL 2,527,246

DEVICE FR nsPENsING PAsTEs 0R cREAMs IN coLLAPsIBLE TUBULAR CONTAINERS Filed March 23, 195o EL: Z F/.. E M Z5- I- 'UNIV .Milln-n n Patented Oct. 24, 1950 DEVICE FOR DISPENSING PASTES OR CREAMS IN COLLAPSIBLE TUBULAR CONTAINERS Charles E. De Vincenzi and Dante Poverello, San Francisco, Calif.; said Poverello assignor to said De Vincenzi Application March 23, 1950, Serial No. 151,323

Claims. (Cl. 222-80) This invention relates to a, dispensing device. More particularly, it relates to e, device for dispensing toothpaste, shaving cream, and other pastes or creams in collapsible tubular containers.

This application is a, continuation in part of our co-pending application, Serial No. 30,808, led June 3, 1948, entitled Dispensing device, which, in turn, is a continuation in part of our copending application, Serial No. 24,748, led May 3, 1948, entitled Holder and dispenser for collapsible tube containers. Application Serial Numbers 30,808 and 24,748 have been abandoned.

Prior devices intended for use as closures, holders, or dispensing devices for toothpaste and the l like have been deficient in one or more respects Certain of these devices are useful only as closures or holders and are not adapted for use as dispensers. That is to say, they perform merely the passive functionV of closing or capping a tube or of holding or supporting a tube.

Certain of those prior devices which are intended to be used or which could be used for dispensing purposes require threading to the neck of a tube. This is disadvantageous because the device is thereby limited to use with e, tube having a predetermined neck diameter and thread pitch. A further disadvantage inherent in dispensing devices of the prior art is that they do not effect a clean severance of an extruded ribbon of paste.

- It is an object of our present invention to provide an improved device of the charactervand for the purpose described.

- It is a further'object of our invention to provide a dispensing device of the character and for the purpose described which is adapted to a wide range of tubes having necks of varying diameter and threads of varying pitch.

It is still .a further object of our invention to provide a dispensing device of the character and for the purpose described which serves as a holder to hold a tube of toothpaste or the like in vertical position in readiness for dispensing, asa closure to close the tube during periods of non-use, and as a dispensing ydevice for dispensing Ipaste from the tube.

A still further object of our invention is to provide -a device of the character and for the purpose described which constitutes an attractive fixture to be fixed, for example, to the wall of a bathroom to receive a toothpaste tube and, if desired, to receive toothbrushes, and which serves as a cornbined permanent holder, closure member and disu pensing device.

Yet another object of your invention is to pro vide a device of the character and for the purpose 2 described which, in its dispensing operation, effects a clean severance of the extruded paste.

These and other objects of our invention will be apparent from the ensuing description and appended claims.

The invention is exemplified in the following description and illustrated in the following-example in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the dispensing device illustrated as supporting a tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush.

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation viewed at to Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view, partly in top plan and partly in longitudinal section, showing in detail the head or dispensing element of the device of Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary top plan View similar to that ofv Figure 1 but with the knife element shown in open position and also showing a ribbon of paste extruded from the tube. 1

Figure 5 isa section taken along line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure` 6 is an end View as seen along the line 6-6 of Figure 4.

Figure 7 is similar to Figure 6 but shows the knife in closed position.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Figures 1 and 2, the device is generally designated as I0 and it is shown as supporting a collapsible tube I i containing toothpaste or the like, and a toothbrush I2. The device comprises a base plate I3 which includes an elongated rectangular body portion I d and laterally project,- ing Wings I5. Each wing I5 is formed with a bifurcated bracket I6 for holding a toothbrush as illustrated at I2. Only two toothbrush holders are illustrated, there being one on each side of the base plate, but it will be apparent that the wings I5 may be wide enough to include as many toothbrush holders as desired.

A channel-shaped holder element I'I is provided which is flared at its upper end at I8 to accommodate the tail of the tube II. At :its lower end the holder element I is continuous with a cylindrical clamping collar I9. The holder element I1 is iixed to the base plate I3 by means of grommets or hollow rivets 25 which provide spaced holes 26 for the reception of screws such as shown at 2l. The device may be mounted vertically on a wall, as illustrated in Figure 2, by means of these screws, or, if desired, it may be mounted by means of suction cups (not shown) or by any other suitable means.

vAs is best shown in Figure 3, a head or dispensa ing element 28 is provided for the lower end of the device. The dispensing element 28 comprises a cylindrical body portion 29 which is formed near its lower end with a shoulder 30 to seat against the lower end of the collar I9. The body portion 29 is formed at its upper end with a frusto-conical recess or seating portion 3l, which communicates at its lower end with an intermediate axial passage 32. The passage 32, in turn, communicates at its lower end with an axial outlet passage 33, which is of relatively small diameter. Preferably, the passage 33 has a diameter of about one-quarter inch, or less than the inside diameter of the neck of the average toothpaste tube. The frustoconical seating portion 3l is intended to seat the usual conical head 34 of a toothpaste tube and the intermediate passage 32 is intended to receive the threaded neck 35 of such a tube.

As is best shown in Figure 6, the lower face of the dispensing element 28 is formed with a recess which is shaped to define a circular or crescent shoulder 4I. As will be seen, the shoulder 4I is tangent at 42 Vto the outlet passage 33. A knife or blade 43 is provided having a cutting edge 44 which is shaped to register precisely with the shoulder 4I when the knife is in the closed position shown in Figure 7. The knife 43 is pivotally mounted by means of a pivot screw 45 which extends through the knife and is threaded into the body of the dispensing element, as illustrated. I;

To prevent loosening of the screw during normal use of the device, a vbushing 46 is provided, as shown in Figure 3. An operating knob 4l is also provided which, as shown in Figure 4, extends through the knife 43 to provide, in effect, a pin 48 which is intended to seat in a hole or depression 49 formed in the recessed area 48.

The knife d3 is oi the same thickness as the shoulder 4I so that, when the knife is in the closed position, as shown in Figure 'La smooth, plane surface is presented. It will be apparent that the pin 48 will resiliently resist opening and closing of the knife 43 and that, when the knife is in closed position, it will remain there until a positive force is applied to open it.

For the purpose of clamping the dispensing element 28 to the collar I9, and also for the urpose of clamping a tube I I, a set screw 56 having a knurled head 5'! is provided. A threaded hole 58 is formed in the collar I3 and a threaded radial passage 59 is formed in the body portion 29 of the dispensing element 28 to receive the set screw.

The device I3 is employed as follows: It is mounted by means of screws or other suitable means at a convenient location, for example, on

the wall of a bathroom adjacent to a washstand or basin. The set screw 56 is unthreaded sufficiently to retract it within the radial passage 59 and a tube of toothpaste, with its screw cap removed, is inserted in the device in the manner illustrated. That is to say, the threaded neck 35 of the tube is inserted in the intermediate passage 32. Vertical support is provided by means of the frusto-conical seat 3I and the shoulder the knife t3 is moved to close position and will 75 4 neatly sever the extruded ribbon and allow it to drop on a toothbrush.

Among the many advantages of our invention may be mentioned the following:

It is simple in design and is easily manufactured from inexpensive materials. Thus, it may be manufactured from Steel, aluminum, or other metals, and it may be chromium-plated if it is desired to provide an attractive permanent xture. The base plate I3 and the holder II are readily formed by conventional stamping and bending operations and the dispensing element 28 requires only a minimum amount of machining.

. Alternatively, thedevice may be made of plastic, in which-case nearly all of the parts may be molded.

The device serves as a combined holder, closure anddispensing element for toothpaste and the like and, also, as a toothbrush holder. The knife 43 and the manner in which it cooperates with the outlet passage 33 and the shoulder 4I assures a dependable and neat dispensing operation. Neatness of operation is also aided by the fact that the base plate I3 extends considerably below the dispensing element 28, thus providing a guard or apron to prevent extruded paste from accidentally brushing against a wall.

A further important advantage resides in the fact that a set screw or other similar clamping means is provided instead of a member intended to be threaded directly to the tube. By reason of this feature, our device will accommodate'a wider range of sizes and is independent of the pitch of thread. A further advantage of the setv screw is that, by completely removing it, the entire dispensing element 28 can be removed for cleaning.

Among other advantages may be mentioned the fact that toothpaste can be dispensed with-f out the need, or even the likelihood, of touching the neck of the tube by hand or with a toothbrush. The common practice of extruding toothpaste from a tube, and then wiping it off onto a brush, is very unsanitary. With our device,4 when mounted vertically as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the ribbon of extruded paste is severed by the knife 43 and drops onto the brush vwithout any need for physical contact between the brush and any part ofthe dispensing apparatus. ,Also it will be apparent that, since a tube remains mounted on the device until it is exhausted, and- 1s opened and closed by means of the handle 41, the unsanitary practice of repeatedly screwing and unscrewing a cap is avoided.

While We have shown the preferred form of our invention, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in its construction by those skilled in the art without departing fromv the spirit of the Vinvention as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A dispenser for dispensing paste from collapsible tubes comprising a tubular member having an axial bore, radial clamping means for clamping the neck of a collapsible tube received within said bore, one face of said tubular mem-v ber being formed with a raised portion and with a recessed portion adjoining said raised portionand defining an arcuate shoulder, said arcuate? shoulder being tangent to said bore, and a closure and cutting element hingedly mounted onl said recessed portion and adapted to abut said arcuate shoulder and to be ush with said raised portion when nclosed position.

2. A dispenser comprising a tubular member having a front face and a rear face and formed with an axial bore and with an annular outer shoulder near said front face, said bore being formed at one end adjacent said rear face with a conical seating portion for seating the conical end of a toothpaste tube, with a portion of small diameter adjacent the front face for extruding a ribbon of paste and with an intermediate p0rtion of intermediate diameter providing a shoulder for receiving and seating the neck of a toothf paste tube; said tubular member also being formed on its front face with a raised portion and a recessed portion defining an arcuate shoulder which is tangent to said bore; a closure and cutting element hingedly mounted on said re'- cessed portion, having an arcuate inner edge adapted to abut said arcuate shoulder and ush with said raised portion when in closed position; and a set screw disposed radially of said tubular member for clamping the neck of a toothpaste tube received in said intermediate bore.

3. A dispensing device of the character described, comprising an elongated channel-shaped holder adapted to receive and provide lateral support for a collapsible tube, -said holder being formed at one end with a collar aligned axially with the longitudinal axis of the holder, a dispensing element received Within said collar, means for clamping said dispensing element in said collar in axial alignment with the holder,

said dispensing element having an axial bore ex-Y tending therethrough, and closure and cutting means on the outer face of said dispensing element operable to simultaneously sever a ribbon of extruded paste and to close said axialbore.

4. A dispensing device of the character described, comprising an elongated channel-shaped holder adapted to receive and provide lateral support for a collapsible tube, said holder being formed at one end with a collar aligned axially with the longitudinal axis of the holder, a dispensing element received within said collar and having an axial bore extending therethrough, radial set screw means operable to clamp said dispensing element in said collar and to clamp the neck of a, toothpaste tube in said axial bore, and closure and cutting means on the outer face of said dispensing element comprising a knife pivotally mounted for movement to and from a closed position for simultaneously severing a ribbon of extruded paste and closing said axial bore and abutment means co-operable with said knife to sever a ribbon of extruded paste.

5. A device for dispensing toothpaste and the like comprising a tubular member having an axial bore, radial clamping means for clamping the neck of a collapsible tube received Within said bore, one face of said tubular member being formed with a raised portion and with a recessed portion adjoining said raised portion and defining a shoulder, said shoulder being tangent to said bore, and a closure and cutting element hingedly mounted on said recessed portion and adapted to abut said shoulder and to be flush with said raised portion when in closed position.

CHARLES EL DE VINCENZI. DANTE POVERELLrO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the lle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,492,534 Quadt et al. Apr. 29, 1924 1,590,626 Highley June 29, 1926 2,016,357 Andrews et al. Oct. 8, 1935 2,029,065 Farley Jan. 28, 1936 2,039,145 Burns Apr. 28, 1936 

